Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-01-03
THE PARDONING POWER.
Has it Been Exercised Improperly by the
Z etiring Chief Executive.

Has it Been Exercised Improperly by the
etiring Chief Executive.
EDS. RECORD UNION Though you differ
in politics with Governor Stoneman, hope
you will do him the justice to permit re-
ply through your journal to an article
which appeared in the Daily Bee last Friday
evening, under the head Steneman's
Shameful Record in which very unjust
attack is made upon his administration as
well as an insinuation against his integrity.
This is the style of the article, which would
seem to have been written with a quill
plucked from the wing of fallen angel,
dipped in ink distilled from the bitter gall
of prejudice, and guided by the vindictive
hand of malice. Read this extract:
:" It has been suggested that, because of
his distinguished services Governor Stone
.man-who is soon to leave the guberna-
toraI chair for the good of the
State-should be placed back upon
the retired list of the army in order that his
declining years may be made comfortable
by pension from the United States Gov
eminent We suggest that the murderers.
thieves, embezzlers, forgers and scoundrels
generally whom he has turned loose upon
an unoffending public owe him a deeper
debt of gratitude than does this nation. and
we nominate for treasurer and manager Of
the fund Chris. Buckiey-sceres OF whose
lambs Stoneman has taken out of the house
of bondage and into the land of freedom.
If ever debt of gratitude was owed in this
State, it is owed at the present time by the
criminal classes to the retiring Governor.
Since the pardon of embezzier Joseph +.
Epson on February q, 1885, our alleged
Governor has churned out his gifts to
prisoners at an alarming rate; and it has
been a matter of common talk that he
usually succeeded in pardoning those who
were not deserving at all, and leaving I'M
pardoned those who had some claim 10
clemencv-
There never was a more unjust attack
made upon man. Without the courage to
charge the Governor with corruption openly
a covert insinuation is adopted. In grant
ing the pardons referred to in the Bees
article, he acted in a conscientious dis
charge of a painful and unpleasant duty.
Section l, Article TO- of the new CoDstitu-
ton, created State Board of Prison Di-
recters,n and section two of the same arti-
Gle provides the Board of Directors shall
have the charge and superintendent of
the State Prisons" And section five of
that article declares " the Legislature shall
pass such laws as may be necessary to
further define and regulate the powers and
duties of the Board These provisions do
not only ereatea Board of Prison Directors,
but confer full power upon the Leg
stature to define and regulate
the powers and duties of the
Board of Prison Directors and this power
has been exercised by the Legislature. Sec
ton % of the Act of the Legislature, en-
titled 8 An Act to define, regulate and gov
ern the State Prisons of California passed
at the session in 1880, provides for giving
credits to convicls for faithful labor, obedi-
ence to rules and good conduct, of two
months for each of the first two years four
months in each of the next two years and
five months in each of the remaining years.
These are to be reported 10 the Governor
but that section says: The names OF no
conyicts who attempt to escape after the
passage of this Act shall be sent by the
State Prison officials to the Governor for
pardon for the credits herein provided .
But Section "a of the Act is this: The
Board of Directors must report TO the Gov
ernor. from time to time the names of any
and all persons confined in the State Pris-
ons who, in their judgment, ought to be